CONTENTS OF THIS COURSE: This is the second half of a year-long sequence in modern astronomy for non-science majors. In Astronomy 1, general astronomical concepts and the solar system are covered. In Astronomy 2, stars, galaxies, and the Universe will be studied. A third course, Life in the Universe, explores the question of extraterrestrial life.

It is NOT NECESSARY to have taken Astronomy I to take Astronomy II.

REQUIRED TEXT:  Astronomy Today by Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan   

In Astronomy II, we will be covering Chapters 16 - 28 in this book, plus parts of Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 15.

COURSE WEB SITE: http://faculty.etsu.edu/SMITHBJ/s2020/astro2_spring2020.html
This web page will contain general information about the course, quiz answers, reminder notices, useful links, and other information.

SYLLABUS ATTACHMENT:
For other useful University information, please consult the ETSU supplement syllabus attachment at: http://www.etsu.edu/reg/academics/syllabus.aspx

LABORATORY: This course has a required laboratory. This laboratory meets Tuesday OR Wednesday OR Thursday from 7:30 - 9:30 PM, depending on the section. The location of the laboratory will vary between Brown Hall room 264, the ETSU Observatory, and the ETSU Planetarium. See the lab schedule for more information. Reminders about the lab location will be posted weekly on the course web page. Note that the street address for the Observatory is 1101 Narrow Lane in Johnson City, while the Planetarium is on the top floor of Hutcheson Hall (Room 207).

Each student is required to buy the ASTR-1020 Astronomy II Laboratory Manual from the bookstore for this course, as well as the Star and Planet Finder. A scientific calculator (able to handle scientific notation) would also be helpful in the labs. Also, please bring a warm coat, gloves, and a hat to Observatory labs. If it is clear, we will be outside during lab. The lab reports will be due at the end of the lab period. Each student must hand in their own lab report. No laboratory reports will be accepted late and there will be NO individual make-ups for the labs! Students must attend their regularly-scheduled lab section; they will get NO CREDIT if they attend another section.

There will be twelve regularly-scheduled evening labs during the semester. For full credit, students are required to do ten of these twelve labs. The other two labs are either make-ups or extra credit. There are NO individual make-ups; these two labs are general make-ups for the whole class. Students MUST do at least 8 labs to pass the course; if you have a passing grade otherwise but have not completed 8 labs you will fail the course. Be sure to save your graded lab reports for your records.

QUIZZES AND FINAL:  There will be 6 quizzes during the semester (see the syllabus for the dates of the quizzes). On quiz days, there will be assigned seating in class (there will be a list posted outside of the classroom before class on those days). The final will be Tuesday May 5 at 10:30 AM in the regular classroom. Make a note of the date and time of the final exam, and be sure not to schedule anything during that time. Note that no calculators, laptops, cell phones, or other electronic devices will be allowed during either quizzes or lectures; please turn them off before each class period.

There will be NO make-ups for the quizzes or the final. Instead, the lowest of either your two lowest quiz grades OR your grade on the final will be dropped. (Note that the final is worth two quiz grades). In other words, you can miss either two quizzes OR the final (that is, the final is a general make-up for the entire class, and counts as two quizzes). You should take all of the quizzes unless there is an extreme emergency. Do not skip quizzes for frivolous reasons! Other unforeseen difficulties may arise later on in the semester, making you unable to attend a later quiz or the final. Even if you have taken all the quizzes, I recommend that you take the final unless you have an A average before the final exam. There is always the possibility that you may do better on the final than your lowest two quiz grades, and so improve your course grade. Taking the final will not hurt your grade, and it may improve it.

GRADING:  Your course grade will be based on your grades on the quizzes (75%), the laboratory grade (25%), and class participation (3%). If your grade on the final is higher than your two lowest quiz grades, it will be used to replace those two quiz grades.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: You might have noticed that the total percentage points for the final grade given above add up to more than 100%. The extra three percent is a bonus given for class participation. During class, there will be numerous demonstrations, as well as opportunities for questions and answers, etc. Participation in these activities will count towards your final grade, and may boost your grade from a B- to a B, for example. Regular attendance also counts towards the class participation grade.

Your final letter grade will be determined from the following percentage scale:

Percent	92 or more	90 to 92	87 to 90	83 to 87	80 to 83	77 to 80
Grade	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+

Percent	72 to 77	70 to 72	67 to 69	60 to 67	less than 60
Grade	C	C-	D+	D	F

MATHEMATICS: This course requires proficiency in basic algebra. To do well in this class, you should be able to handle algebraic manipulations, equations, and ratios. If you feel that your mathematical background is weak, you might consider taking MATH 1710: College Algebra before you take Astronomy or at the same time. A math skills quiz is available on the course web page, to help students determine their math level.

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